The Production of Child Health in Kenya: A Structural Model of Birth Weight

Germano Mwabu
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Germano Mwabu: U of Kenya

Working Papers from Yale University, Department of Economics

Abstract: The paper investigates birth weight and its correlates in Kenya using nationally representative data collected by the government in the early 1990s. I find that immunization of the mother against tetanus during pregnancy is strongly associated with improvements in birth weight. Other factors significantly correlated with birth weight include age of the mother at first birth and birth orders of siblings. It is further found that birth weight is positively associated with mother's age at first birth and with higher birth orders, with the first born child being substantially lighter than subsequent children. Newborn infants are heavier in urban than in rural areas and females are born lighter than males. There is evidence suggesting that a baby born at the clinic is heavier than a newborn baby drawn randomly from the general population.

JEL-codes: C31 C34 I11 I12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-dev and nep-hea
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ecl:yaleco:52

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